I could go on arguing this point, but what it comes down to is that in my analysis, it looked — and continues to look — like people got down on Clowe because of one particular zero in the wrong column.

Sure, he wasn’t the Clowe of four years ago, but there’s good reason to think there were extenuating circumstances. The Devils sure like him and I’d say he was pretty good for the guy that people were calling “Slowe” last year.

Stalock hasn’t had the career Niemi has. What makes you think he’s not a flash in the pan?

I suspect I know what your answer is: Who cares? He’s making saves.

(If I’m wrong, then I apologize for putting words in your mouth and arguing a straw man)

Backup goaltenders don’t get the work or development that starting ones do.

One guy has a good record and has shown the ability to play well, but he’s in a rough patch.

How do you get out of a rough patch? Goaltending is a tremendously mental discipline. It’s building the confidence to go out there, keeping the recognition of shot types, and the awareness of what plays are going on. You can’t do that from the press box and you can’t do that in practice.

That means the way out of that rough patch is to go out there and get starts.

What this means is that choosing the young guy — who doesn’t have that track record — is in a way giving up on the other guy.

Part of the reason we got Niemi — and Doug Wilson himself has said as much is because of the organization’s method of improving. When we lost against Chicago, they looked at why we lost. Wilson put that analysis succinctly as “Niemi, (Dustin) Byfuglien and (Dave) Bolland were the three guys who beat us,”

Maybe he’s not the same guy, but until we hit the playoffs or the gap between 2nd and 3rd gets closer, I’m comfortable with the coaching decision to play both.